Restrictions on the ability of carriers to design the rules whereby data flows over their networks are a bad idea, Stearns said.

He was particularly critical of a bill, the "Internet Freedom Preservation Act," H.R. 5353, introduced by Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet.

In response to a question about how the push for legislation -- in 2006 -- that would allow the Bell companies to offer television services nationwide, without obtaining county-by-county franchises, Stearns said the he did not think the bill could be revived this Congress.

"How do you get video franchising through without attaching Net Neutrality?" Stearns pondered. "I would suspect that at this point, it is not going to happen. Anytime that you hold up something that significant, you stop the investment" by telecommunications carriers.

Still, Stearns said he would have his staff counsel look into creating such a bill this Congress.

Drew Clark is the Editor and Publisher of BroadbandBreakfast.com and President of the Rural Telecommunications Congress. He is an attorney who works with cities, communities and companies to promote the benefits of internet connectivity. The articles and posts on BroadbandBreakfast.com and affiliated social media, including the BroadbandCensus Twitter feed are not legal advice or legal services, do not constitute the creation of an attorney-client privilege, and represent the views of their respective authors.